by Minkman, Jen
“Please follow me.” The man walked them to one of the interrogation rooms and sat down at the desk himself, pulling the computer keyboard toward him. “My name is Graham Curry. I’ll draw up the report for you.”
Hannah started telling her story. She slowly drank the coffee another police officer brought for her and described the guys who’d threatened and harassed her in detail.
“Is it okay if I go to the supermarket?” Ben whispered, while officer Curry was busy typing the report. “I’ll see you outside when you’re done, okay?”
Hannah nodded, quickly finishing her description for the police officer. She mentioned Josh in her story as well, since he’d heard the guys’ voices over the phone. He was the closest thing she had to a witness. When she got out of the police station and made her way to the Chevy, she briefly wondered if Josh had a cell phone or a landline at home. Officer Curry had asked her for contact details, but she only knew Josh’s last name was Benally and that he lived in Naabi’aani.
“Does Josh have a cell?” she inquired, when Ben returned with the groceries and they both sat down in the car.
Ben shook his head. “No. Why? You want to call him?”
“Nah,” Hannah said, too hastily.
Ben looked at her sideways, shooting her a cheeky grin. “Of course you do.”
She blushed. “Stop teasing me. I was just wondering because that cop wanted to have Josh’s number. I mentioned him in the report.”
“No. Josh doesn’t have a phone. He doesn’t see the point. Naabi’aani doesn’t have coverage half of the time anyway, so I can see why. His uncle and aunt have a landline, so if they need to speak to him, they can call him there.”
“I don’t think they’ll need to.” Hannah absently picked at the hem of her dress. She’d actually love to talk to Josh for a while, but she’d see him tonight, and she would wait for that moment to find out whether he’d be his friendly self – or his distant self.
That afternoon, Hannah lounged around on the beach by herself as Ben stayed in the cabin and devoted himself to cramming for some resits after his vacation. Unfortunately, she’d forgotten to apply sunscreen to the backs of her knees, so by the time she got up from her towel to go home, she couldn’t even stand up straight because her skin stretched too much, causing a stinging pain. Just her luck.
When Hannah finally arrived at the cabin and limped up the porch steps in agony, Ben raised his eyebrows. “What the heck happened to you? Someone stole your wheelchair on the beach?”
Hannah glowered at him. “Not funny. My knee-pits are sunburned. I can barely walk.” She smiled at the two neighbor girls sitting next to Ben on the bench. “Hi there.”
“You should put some herbs on them,” Amber suggested. “Mixed with yogurt.”
Ivy laughed. “Listen to the witch. A potion for every ailment.”
Amber poked her. “Keep mocking me and I’ll turn you into a toad.”
Ben got up. “Okay girls, let’s go down to the lake and catch some fish.”
“Not me,” Hannah protested. “I’m a cripple, and by the way, Nick will be here at five. I’ll stay here and be the welcome committee.”
“Sure. Go pamper yourself. There’s some after-sun lotion in the bathroom.”
After Ben’s car had driven off the sandy track toward Lake Powell, Hannah got up, took a shower and applied some lotion on her burning legs. Just as she stumbled into the kitchen, she heard a car engine outside. Sounded like Nick was already here. Hannah got her guitar from the living room and went outside to greet her new friend.
Instead, she found herself face to face with Josh, who just stepped out of his car parked next to the log cabin.
“Oh. Hi.” She swallowed, watching him lift two heavy bags from the back seat. “You’re – early.”
“Hey, don’t sound so surprised.” Josh walked up the steps. “I know punctuality is not my strong suit, being Indian and all, but really. There’s no need to rub it in.” He grinned at her, disappearing into the kitchen to put the hamburgers in the fridge.
Hannah let out the breath she’d been holding. This was awkward with a capital A. It hadn’t occurred to her that Josh could get here first. Now she’d be alone with him until Nick and Emily got here, and she felt nervous at the prospect. Which was stupid. This was the perfect opportunity to discuss that almost-kiss where she’d accidentally, well, rejected him.
Or maybe she should just shut up about it. Josh was just a regular, seventeen-year-old guy learning the ropes and flirting with her before moving on to an actual potential girlfriend his own age.
“So, how are you feeling?” he asked.
She turned around and unwittingly smiled when he gently put his hand on her shoulder. “Better. Ben made me go to the police and file a report, by the way.”
“I can imagine.”
“Oh, I mentioned your name in the report. You’re the only one who heard those guys talk.”
“Sure. If I can help or testify against them, let me know. I hope they’ll get arrested.”
“Me too. They only took off because I held them at gunpoint.”
Josh frowned. “You have a weapon?”
Hannah nodded gingerly. “Unloaded, though.”
“So that’s why they suddenly decided to leave you alone,” he said grimly.
“I really don’t like guns.” Hannah stared at her hands, somehow feeling like Josh was judging her.
“Hey. I know. It wasn’t your fault.”
She looked up, and for a split second she saw his face as it had been in her dream last night – older, wiser, and completely focused on her. She stared into his dark eyes and heard people shouting in Spanish, smelling the burning fire of her nightmare.
“Would you like something to drink?” she broke the silence.
Josh blinked, shaking his head as if he’d been lost in thought as well. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just have a Coke.” He smiled at her and grabbed a can from the table.
Hannah plopped down on the porch cross-legged and watched Josh taking a long drink, sitting down on the steps, his back against the railing. She absent-mindedly plucked the top string of the guitar she’d put in her lap, tuning it up a bit. When she looked up again, she caught Josh staring at her hand as it touched the strings. His gaze wandered upward and he looked into her eyes. Hannah bit her lip. The only thing she heard was the wind in the trees and her own frantic heartbeat.
She broke eye contact and looked down at her hands. And suddenly, she was playing her own song. She wanted to play this song for him alone.
The only thing Hannah focused on was controlling her breath and getting rid of the ball of cotton in her throat. When she finally started singing, she somehow remembered every word of the lyrics she had written down only yesterday.
Look at me
Look for me
Oh, embrace me
Hold me strong.
I have wandered the ages
I have roamed the earth
I have crossed space and time
for your song.
I have waited
I am waiting
I will wait for you;
One and thousand summers long.
When the last chord faded, Hannah looked up, meeting Josh’s eyes. He was staring at her so intensely that her brain flatlined.
Josh put down his drink, shifted onto his knees and leaned over to her, putting one hand on hers – the hand that had plucked the strings – and using his other hand to push away a stray lock of hair from her face. Then he pressed his lips to her cheek. It felt so warm, so familiar, and yet so brand new.
When Josh moved away from her, he finally broke the silence. “That was the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard,” he said earnestly.
A shaky breath escaped her lips. “Thank you,” she whispered with a blush.
He smiled faintly. “Don’t thank me. I should thank you for singing to me.”
Hannah looked down at the neck of her guitar. Her heart was dancing in her
chest. She’d sung her new song for Josh alone! If only he knew she’d written the lyrics with him in mind.
Josh scrambled to his feet, gazing at the road. “Is that Nick?” He tilted his head to an old, green Jeep coming around the corner.
Hannah put away her guitar and got up too. “Yeah, that’s him,” she said, when she saw a brown-haired guy wearing aviator sunglasses sitting behind the wheel.
“Do me a favor,” Josh said in a serious tone. “Please stop being insecure about your music. You really don’t need to be.”
“O-okay,” she stuttered, a bit overwhelmed.
“Good.” He put his hand on her arm for a moment before walking down the steps and getting his car keys out to move the Mustang and make room for Nick’s Jeep.
As the two guys sat down at the table to go through Nick’s notes, Hannah installed herself on the porch steps with a book. She didn’t read a single word, though – all she did was listening to the warm timbre of Josh’s voice, telling Nick about the history of his people. The kiss he’d pressed to her cheek played over and over in her mind. By the time Emily showed up at the log cabin, Hannah was glad to be able to take a walk and get things off her chest.
“Hey Em,” she said, putting her book down. “Where’s your car?”
“At home. My dad gave me a ride this morning. I can drive back with Josh later.” She waved at him and then eyed Nick. “Who’s that?”
“Come on, let’s go for a walk.” Hannah steered her friend away from the cabin before she’d strike up an entire conversation with Nick. There’d be plenty of time to do that later, and right now, she just wanted to get away for a while.
Emily chuckled and followed her obediently. “Sure. Are we going to talk about, uhm, someone? Is that why you’re herding me out of here?”
They strolled down the sandy path toward the beach. Hannah stayed quiet.
“So. You look sort of – dreamy,” Emily ventured after a minute.
“Hmm?”
Her friend chuckled. “Don’t play innocent. You really like Josh, don’t you?”
Hannah gave up. “Yeah. I do.” She smiled faintly. “I just played my new song for Josh. Alone.”
“Wow! What did he think?”
“He said he’d never heard a more a beautiful song. And that means a lot, coming from someone that talented.”
Emily smiled. “I’m happy to hear he’s so sweet to you. It’s obvious he feels close to you.”
“I wouldn’t mind feeling him even closer.”
“Ooh, Slutsville.”
Hannah giggled. “Shut up.”
They walked past the deck of The Winking Shrimp. Hannah’s gaze wandered to the jetty where Josh had been next to Ben a few days ago, nearly giving her a heart attack with his sudden re-appearance after their meeting at the gas station. Last time here, she’d been a high-school student, and Josh had still been a kid. On the reservation, he’d always called her sha’di – the Navajo word for older sister. Josh called Ben shik’is, his brother and friend. In Diné culture, it was common to avoid using people’s names in their presence out of respect. Family members were addressed by their title, because those relations were important. Even the name ‘Josh’ was a nickname based on his real Navajo war name. It was a name devised to be used by whites. Josh had once told Ben and her his real name, though, but she’d forgotten it along the way.
“What’s Josh’s real name again?” Hannah wondered aloud.
“Shash,” Emily replied. “It means ‘bear’ in our language.”
Hannah blinked. “You mean the animal?”
So his name referred to the strange birthmark on his chest? That was just freaky. Of course, if it had actually been a birthmark, it wouldn’t be so strange – his grandparents could have given him the name because of his mark, but that wasn’t possible. Something inexplicable must have happened during his quest. But what could it be?
The two girls sat down at the waterside. Hannah gazed at the beach, where a group of guys were sitting around a bonfire, roasting marshmallows. Even though the three boys didn’t look like the drunk teenagers of last night, they reminded her of them. Somehow, their presence felt the same. She shivered.
Emily followed her stare. “What’s up? You look spaced out.”
“I was harassed by some guys last night,” Hannah said softly.
“What, really? Those guys over there?”
“No. I just ... they sort of reminded me of the situation.” She quickly told Emily what had happened. She didn’t want to dwell on it for too long. Thinking about it cast a shadow over her good mood.
“Good idea to file a report,” Emily said. “I hope they get arrested. You’re lucky nothing happened to you.”
Nothing had happened, but somehow she now felt irrationally scared of people who had nothing to do with her assailants. Maybe that fear had made her dream such strange things last night. It was as good an explanation as any.
When the two girls got back to the house, Nick was hammering away on Ben’s laptop while Josh was stirring up the coals on the barbecue.
“Enjoy your walk?” Josh asked when Hannah came over to him.
“I did. Enjoy Nick’s interview?” She looked at Nick, who was now typing and chatting to Emily at the same time. “I see he’s still processing data?”
“He borrowed Ben’s laptop so he could take notes faster.” Josh wiped the sweat off his forehead. Hannah laughed when he smeared a stain of soot across his eyebrow.
“What?” he asked, a faint smile around his lips.
“You on the war path?” she teased, laughing even more when she saw the bemused look in his eyes.
“You talk in riddles,” he said with a grin.
“You have a war stripe on your brow.” Hannah reached out and rubbed the black stain, trying to get it off his skin.
Josh moved closer. “Where?” he said, reaching for his forehead. His fingers touched hers, and he looked at her from up close.
“Yes – there,” she stammered.
“Is it gone?” he mumbled.
“Yes.”
“Do I still look like an idiot?” He stared down at her with a twinkle in his eyes.
“No.” Hannah wondered when exactly her entire vocabulary had turned monosyllabic. She stared at him in the silence stretching between them.
“Josh, could you come over here for a minute?” Emily called out. She was still helping Nick with his notes.
“Yep.” Abruptly, Josh whipped around and walked up the steps. Hannah listlessly prodded the barbecue coals with a pair of tongs, trying to breathe evenly. He was driving her absolutely insane. This whole situation was.
As she put on the first burgers, Hannah scanned the sky for stars. Dusk was setting in. In the east, a pale crescent moon rose in the cloudless firmament.
“I bet we’ll see a lot of stars tonight,” she said hopefully to Josh, who just put some bottles of sauce on the table next to the barbecue.
“You like star-gazing, right?”
Hannah nodded. “As a child, I could find all the constellations in the night sky. I knew all their names, too.”
“Me too. The Diné don’t have the same constellations, though. You want me to teach you a few?”
“Sure!” For all she cared, Josh could teach her how to add and subtract. As long as he wasn’t distant or cold toward her. So far, the day had been wonderful in that respect, though.
At six o’clock, Ben and the neighbors proudly carried a bucket full of fish to the barbecue.
“I’ll gut those in a minute,” Josh offered when Ivy and Amber handed him the catch of the day. They all shook hands and introduced themselves.
“Hi, I’m Emily Begay. Hannah told me you are going to study natural medicine,” Emily said to Amber. “I just finished my studies, actually!”
Within minutes, Amber and Emily were engaged in deep conversation about medicinal herbs used by the Diné on the reservation. Nick put away Ben’s laptop and helped getting the food ready.
By the time it was really getting dark, everybody sat on the lawn in front of the cabin enjoying the grilled trout. Meanwhile, Ben was playing some golden oldies on Hannah’s guitar.
“What kind of food should we bring along to the rodeo tomorrow?” Nick inquired when they were all sitting around the campfire after dinner.
“Everything but alcohol,” Josh said.
“Is that a taboo in your culture?” Ivy asked.
Josh nodded. “It is officially forbidden in Navajo Nation. On the rez, they call it tó tsi'naa'iiáhí – the water that drives the mind crazy. I stay away from it as much as possible,” he said pointedly.
“You have bad experiences with alcohol?” Amber asked, picking up on his tone.
Josh hesitated. “I’ve seen a close relative slowly going to ruin because of the stuff,” he finally said in a taut voice.
Hannah frowned. Who was Josh talking about? She knew all members of his immediate family, and they definitely weren’t alcoholics.
Ben gave his friend an equally confused look. “Who are you talking about?”
The circle of friends around the fire fell silent, and in that silence, Josh shrugged noncommittally. “Never mind,” he mumbled, a guarded expression on his face. “You don’t know him.”
Ben decided to drop the matter. He looked away and started to tell Nick about last year’s rodeo in Naabi’aani, clearly trying to ignore Josh’s strange remark.
When the heat of the fire became too much for her, Hannah leaned backwards on her elbows to cool off. Josh leaned backwards beside her and eyed her questioningly. “Tired?”
“A bit.” She felt languid from staying close to the fire for so long, staring into his eyes from up close, the two of them breaking the circle around the flames.
“Too tired for star-gazing?” he continued.
“I’m never too tired for that.”
Josh looked up. “We can’t see anything from here.”
Hannah paused. “No,” she admitted.
“Come on,” he whispered, climbing to his feet.